Sil finished the kid’s treatment just as Raine, who sat in front of her store, noticed the familiar sight of a fedora-wearing Loup-garou and a Crocodilian in a traditional garb walking towards the store. That familiar sight turned to a surprising sight when they were close enough to be noticed by the people living in the settlement. Their appearance drew gasps and whispers among them.
Jacques and Karkas returned bloodied and bruised from whatever fight they had, though most of the blood on them were not theirs. It was as if they were massacring a bunch of people so violently it created an exaggerated amount of blood that caked them, with Jacques being spared by the duster jacket he was wearing, now ruined by the blood. Karkas could easily wash off the blood on his hide and his garments, though it might take a while.
They did not come out of it unscathed, however. Jacques sustained a very prominent slash wound on his chest. It was not life-threatening, but it still drew blood. Karkas’s face sustained cuts and bruises, clearly caused from a brawl. His tail, which was his greatest weakness, also sustained cuts. It was clear that, at some point during their fight, someone dragged his tail. It had always been the bane for any beast people, especially those with long, thick tails like Crocs and Fa’ars.
The two silently walked to the store, carrying a crest engraved with the symbol of the cult. He simply threw it on Sil’s floorboard.
“Holy shit,” said Raine. “What the hell did you fight with? A mutant?”
“The idiot blew himself up,” said Jacques. “Then the whole cult’s out to get us. We barely got out of it, but at least we managed to stop before more people got killed. It’s a waste of bullets, and a waste of time.”
“You massacred the whole town?!”
“No!” snapped Karkas. “Turns out the town itself doesn’t like having a dangerous cult taking over their town. With their leader gone, the rest of the townspeople rebelled against the cult and drove them away. They lost their will to fight and leave the town. Still, at least we didn’t leave empty-handed.”
Karkas pulled out a pouch full of money. “Gave us part of the betting pool. It’s not much, but at least it’s something. Don’t expect us to get invited in any time soon, though. We left…quite a mess for them to clean up, and maybe some traumatized people coping with that same mess.”
“But do they know who you are? I mean, do they know about this town?”
“No,” said Jacques. “Told them we’re wanderers hunting down Nihilo. We’re the ones who did not get to be on the cross. In fact, I don’t think they want anything to do with us. The faster we leave, the better.”
“You two…wow, I never thought I’d meet someone so reliable,” said Sil. “You have a new rival now, Karkas. Better watch out.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” said Karkas. “We both got a chance to talk about it.”
“Does that mean….”
“We’re partners. Glad to be your acquaintance, human.”
Karkas extended his hand. His stern expression was hard for Raine to read. Sil, however, knew that Karkas was smirking, albeit very subtle due to his crocodilian features. She could tell because she was a Lizan. Crocs might not be the most expressive of the reptilian people, but their expressions were still readable.
“It’s Raine,” said Raine, accepting the Croc. The cat-eared human, too, smiled. “Just don’t try anything funny with the kid, alright?”
“About the Fa’ar…how is he?” asked Karkas.
“Just about done with the treatment,” said Sil. “I told this to Raine before. He had not had a chance to speak with his own voice for a while since his throat was damaged, so he won’t be able to speak right away. If he continues practicing, I’m sure all of you can communicate much more efficiently. He might be able to speak a whisper, but I suggest letting his throat heal before he can speak properly.”
Sil wasn’t sure why she told this to the two when she was aware that they did not care much about the Fa’ar kid, but she was glad that she did. To her pleasant surprise, Karkas looked elated. It was not very noticeable when one’s not a reptilian kind, so only Sil noticed that Karkas’s pupils widened and he could be heard letting out a deep growl, both indicating his relief.
The Loup was more indifferent. Ironically, despite a mammalian kind’s expressive face, he remained stone-faced. Serious, even. It was as if he had something very important to say.
“That’s great news,” said Jacques monotonously. “But we have a problem.”
Sil, expecting the worst, sighed and said, “They swore revenge, and this place isn’t safe. It’s fine. I know they’ll say that. But they won’t expect what’s coming for them.”
“I honored my end of the bargain,” said Jacques. “They will not bother you. But…I suggest you cut ties with me now, Lizan, or this won’t end well for you.”
“I just told you we can deal with them.”
“I’m not talking about the lost flock. I’m talking about the shepherd, the real root of the cause.” Jacques looked at Raine, then to Sil. Both were confused of what Jacques was talking about. Hesitantly, he said, “We better get inside and spare Sobesk his remaining mana.”
Sil looked at Karkas, who nodded before walking into Sil’s store, followed by Jacques. Sil and Raine followed behind. The cat-eared human looked around, wondering if Jacques was being targeted, before he entered the store, turned the ‘open’ sign to ‘close’, and locked the door.
“Thank you,” said Jacques. “You can cancel it now, Sobesk.”
Karkas sighed. Both Sil and Raine felt a mana discharge as the Crocodilian sat on a nearby bench.
“What did you do?” asked Sil.
“Camouflage spell. Specifically, Presence Scrambler,” said Karkas. “He knows his stuff. That’s something you only do when you’re trying to conceal your presence and keep your presence hidden. We're fortunate I know how to cast that spell.”
“I’m surprised you know how to cast that spell,” said Jacques.
“Except I don’t know how to specifically conceal myself towards specific targets. You clearly had a history with them to be able to make it a very specific spell. You even call them by their first names.”
Jacques sighed. He knew he needed to come clean with them so he would not be asked any more questions. So, reluctantly, Jacques said, “We were…friends once. That Fa’ar was Maril Sukali. She and I…were once assassins employed by the Church of Nihilo.”
There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone in that room listened to Jacques’s confession. Raine was the one who broke the silence first.
“Hold on. Are you telling me you are a member of the cult you’re hunting?”
“Technically, yes,” said Jacques. “But also no. For me, anyway. From the look of it, Maril clearly made them her permanent employer, then one of the new leaders of the cult’s return to prominence. Claire, too, from the look of it. I don’t know about the rest of us, though.”
“So, you cut ties with them because of it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not the only reason, isn’t it?”
Jacques hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He then said, “They crossed the line. I have always known that the Church of Nihilo was shitty, and they started to become more prominent the more they wanted to enforce their goals. I didn’t think that they would…they would kill children.”
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“Children?” said Sil with a gasp. “In a ritual?”
“Not in a ritual. In general. Children are pure of heart. Well, not the teenagers, but you know what I mean. There are cults out there that consider them to be the ray of hope in this broken world. They are the future of the world, and Nihilo hated that idea. They believed this world is an illusion and we are only prolonging the illusion by keeping up hope. I know that’s fucked up, but you can’t argue with crazies.” Jacques scoffed. “Some of them even believed that it's sick to make children be the ray of hope. Ironic, but again, crazies.”
“Well, good thing someone had some sense and realize what they’re dealing with,” said Raine. “No wonder that cult’s criminalized practically everywhere.”
“Everywhere except here,” remarked Sil.
“Is that why you stopped dealing with them?”
“I already had doubts, but Maril, Claire, and the rest of the company did not. I split with them after…after I made a promise to their last target. He was…mature for his age, and he…accepted his death so willingly. He made me promise…to stop them. I should’ve stop…I should’ve stop them. If only I wasn’t so….”
Raine never saw Jacques so disturbed before. He was rarely, if ever, emotional, unless he was heavily drunk. There were a lot of things the cat-eared human did not know about his rival, but Jacques’s confession about being an assassin did explain his stoicism and snap judgements, something a former mercenary like him could never have. They both had bloods on their hands, but they reacted to it differently.
“So, I made their lives hell,” continued Jacques. “I never thought it would work, but I suppose setting a cult with another cult helped in weird ways. I only pointed my fingers towards them, and this cult spread nasty rumors about them, effectively destroying their credibility overnight. Well, I didn’t care less about it. I was angry and distraught. I…never felt so disgusted.”
“But you did the right thing in the end,” reasoned Karkas. “They will get away with it if no one’s brave enough to stand against them.”
“Except Maril, Claire, and the rest of the new guards now know who they’re dealing with. They will be coming for me, and they will make my life hell like I did to their lives. I…well, I must confess. I wasn’t taking jobs because I know what I’m doing. I was hunting members of the Church that did not bother to hide themselves, thinking that their past is forever buried. It’s difficult because, clearly, most of them are smart enough to stay out of the spotlight. That’s why I don’t like partners. That’s why I stay out of everyone’s business.
“Yet, for some reason, I didn’t. Maybe deep down, I realize my crusade’s either pointless, or I need allies. Then, I met Maril, and now I realize that I dragged everyone down in the mud with me. Maybe I should’ve just stay out of the kid’s business.”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” said Raine. “Now, you regretted saving the kid’s life?”
“I didn’t save him. I was going to return him to hell.”
“Because you knew he’s going to die anyway, and you clearly did not think killing him was right. If you were reluctant to make that decision, then I know deep down, you want to do what I did without being persuaded. You are a good Loup-garou, Jacques, even if you’re an asshole.”
“Oh, fuck you,” said Jacques with an annoyed, but amused, scoff.
“I’m only stating facts here, buddy. Anyway, what now? Now that they got you in their sights, you have several options here.”
“Only one option, Raine. I will hunt them down. No more hiding. I made a promise. It is time I make good of it. But now…I can understand that it won’t do me good doing this by myself. Will you be willing to help me? I’m sorry I dragged you into this, Raine, Sobesk.”
“Hey, don’t think too much about it,” said Raine. “At least I know you’re no longer the lone wolf you were. We’ll help you. Right, Karkas?”
“Indeed,” said Karkas. “We do need a plan. I saw what that Fa’ar could do. I consider myself lucky to have encountered less dangerous ones in my own hunt.”
“You’re lucky you haven’t met anyone with a spell powerful enough to blow up an entire town,” said Raine. “They have self-control, of course, but that might not always be the case out there in the wasteland.”
Jacques could only nod, amazed by how his newfound allies wanted to help him even after knowing his past affiliations. Karkas found himself respecting the Loup after he showed how dangerous he was with his guns, and especially after he told parts of his past to the Croc mage. He was also intrigued by the Loup’s past, wanting to know how he could be affiliated with a Fa’ar even though he acted indifferent towards the kid.
Their attention soon turned towards the kid’s recovery. Several hours later, Sil, who had earlier returned to the treatment room to check on the kid, examined his throat and found that it was already healed. She then dispelled the sleeping spell. The kid woke up from a dreamless sleep several moments later. The first person he met upon waking up was the Lizan healer, who smiled at him.
“Hello, kid,” said Sil. “How are you doing?”
The kid instinctively wanted to reply. To let out a croaked and hard to hear “Fine” to Sil before coughing. His throat felt dry. It was as if he had not drink anything since yesterday. Yet, he was more surprised by the fact that he could let out something coherent.
Sil gave him a glass of water to drink. The murine kid did not hesitate to take it and down the whole glass in one go. He felt refreshed and rather elated to find that the treatment worked. Grateful, the kid wanted to say “akasi”, his kind’s word for “thank you”. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t produce any voice.
“I’m glad you are fine, kid,” said Sil. “Let your throat recover by itself first. In just a week, you’ll be able to start speaking without straining your throat, but it will come out as a croaked voice. If you train yourself enough, you will be able to speak normally soon. But don’t rush, okay?”
The kid nodded. He lost his voice some time ago. Another week wouldn’t be too bad. To show his gratitude, he put his cream-colored hand on Sil’s hand, followed by putting his other hand on his fur-covered chest. Sil did not understand it without the kid’s explanation, but she could tell that the Fa’ar was grateful.
Sil then guided the rat person out after he put on his jacket and his collar, to be greeted by Raine, the only one of the three who was waiting for the procedure to be finished. Both Jacques and Karkas waited near the doorway, but then turned their attention to the kid and Raine when the human greeted the Fa’ar.
“Look who decided to return from the land of dreams,” said Raine with a lighthearted tone. “Feeling better now, kiddo?”
The kid nodded and tried to say, “Yeah”. He did not want to strain his throat further, so he refrained from trying to say anything else. Raine did not need to ask to understand.
Karkas was the second one to greet the Fa’ar. The kid was understandably scared, still remembering their encounter. He had tried not to show fear around Karkas so that Raine would not make the Croc’s life harder, but this time, he couldn’t disguise it. Good thing he did not need to explain anything when Karkas, rubbing the back of his head, said, “Sorry, Fa’ar. I know you won’t be able to forgive me any time soon, but I hope that won’t…uh, make you scared or anything.”
The kid was still scared, but he did not wish to complicate matters. All he did to close the matter was a simple nod before touching the Croc’s hand, albeit with considerable hesitation. Karkas, on his part, was genuinely remorseful for what he did to the kid. The Fa’ar seemed to have forgiven him, but part of him knew it left a mark in the kid’s already traumatic life. Only they knew what really happened during the short time Karkas took the kid hostage.
Jacques, despite his nonchalant attitude, commended the kid by saying, “Great to know you’re back, kid.” The kid nodded, but soon realized why Jacques’s expression did not change, especially after he said, “But we don’t have time for celebrations.”
“The least you can do is give him some kind words, you know,” commented Raine. “Then again, Jacques’s right, kiddo. You missed out on a lot of things.”
The kid listened as Raine explained the situation and the events that happened while he was being treated. He was amazed, but also worried, that there was a cult like that out there. He did not know about their apparent demise or their threat for obvious reasons. Even after being freed, he was kept in the dark about it.
Nevertheless, he understood one thing. They represented the worst people the kid knew: those who gave up on hope, and those who had fallen so bad their heart was blackened. Part of that hatred came from the Fa’ar’s own traumatic experience as a slave. They had no idea how hard it was to keep going despite of everything. Then again, the kid admitted that he, too, fell into despair, but he recovered thanks to the kindness of the other slaves who sympathized with him.
He considered himself lucky. No one wanted to sympathize with a Fa’ar. The kid had never experienced kindness other than from his now decimated tribe, the slaves who were punished for being kind to him and others, Raine, Sil, Karkas, and maybe even Jacques, in his own way. Inspired by them, the kid wanted to prove that he could be different.
The kid did not wait for Raine to finish when he retrieved his bag. It had been sitting on one side of the room ever since he started his treatment, completely forgotten by both Sil and Raine despite their earlier concern of the bag’s content. He proceeded to mouth a ‘thank you’ in his own language to Sil before walking towards the door, exiting the store, evidently elated by the successful treatment. He could not wait to hear his own voice after years of hoping that he did not permanently lose his voice.
“He’s quite eager, isn’t he?” said Sil with a smile. “I still can’t believe he managed to change my opinion against his kind in less than a day.”
“Yeah, well…he’s a special case,” said Karkas. “Don’t let your guard down just yet, Sil.”
“Of course, I won’t. Not for them. Not for anyone. But in your case, and a Fa’ar you trust, I’ll make an exception. In fact, I will trust anyone you deem trustworthy.”
Karkas chuckled. “I don’t know you think of me that way, doctor.”
Sil wouldn’t think of Karkas that way if he did not return to her life every now and then. The Croc was not demanding and genuinely cared for her while also hated the Fa’ars for what one of them did to him. He slowly changed, and Sil could easily tell as he became less and less cheerful the more, he came closer to his elusive target.
It only needed a traumatized, formerly mute Fa’ar who lost his innocence and childhood to change his and her opinion. As they went to find a place to stay for the night, Sil wondered if she could ever see a time when the rat people were no longer the outsiders that the remaining cusps of civilization made themselves to be.
How long until the world could finally forgive the bringer of ruins? Would another thousand years be the answer? Sil hoped it would be within her lifetime. That could at least make life more interesting.